


Honey, Baby

by Lumeneas



Series: Mated [2]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, Slender Man Mythos, Slender: The Arrival, Slender: The Eight Pages
Genre: Character Death, Choose Your Own Ending, Complete, Consensual Sex, Double Penetration, F/M, Gore, Horror, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pregnancy, Rape, Stalking, Tentacles, spiritual sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-05-07 08:21:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19205545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeneas/pseuds/Lumeneas
Summary: After an encounter with the Slender Man in her youth, June has spent most of her life in fear. When the creature from her childhood comes back for her, she must either submit or fight back.





	1. Prologue

A little girl, hair done up in pigtails, hummed to herself as she made mud pies in the backyard of her house. Her doll, slightly dirty from the foray, sat watching over her nearby. The girl’s mother watched her daughter out of the corner of her eye from the porch as she spoke on the phone, nursing a lemonade and lounging on a lawn chair. The scent of grilling hamburgers wafted through the air, untended for the moment as the woman's husband had gone inside to retrieve various condiments in preparation for the meal.

The woman turned away for only a second, to pour herself more lemonade. It was a hot day and the ice in the pitcher had melted, diluting the tart lemon flavor. She agreed with the person on the phone absently as she balanced the glass between her knees, condensation from the glass wetting the white bermudas she wore. She turned back to her original position on the lawn chair just as her husband with their son, Zach, came outside. Almost immediately, she realized something was wrong.

Where her daughter had been happily playing in the dirt moments ago, there was only her ragged doll, flopped over in the mud slowly being stained brown. With a quick, “I’ll call you back,” she jumped to her feet and crossed the deck to her husband who had opened up the grill once more.

“Did you see where June went?” she asked, the panic beginning to claw up into her throat. She had always been irrationally overprotective of her daughter and she tried to shove the feeling down until it was only a mild worry. The forest that stood behind the house loomed in the corner of her eye and she hoped that June had just gone around the side of the house towards the hose, to wash up before lunch. Her husband’s brow furrowed as he flipped a patty, echoing her concern. Her son sat oblivious at the table in the middle of the deck, hunched over his phone with earbuds jammed into his ears. Very suddenly, a chill wind ripped through the yard, forcing the man to close the grill lest debris taint the burgers.

They both walked over to the hose to find it abandoned among the muddy grass, slowly leaking water from the end. The woman uneasily turned the spigot off. The two of them ducked around to the front for a quick look and again found no trace of the little girl. There’s no way that she slipped past her father into the house and that left only one place.

“I told her to stay out of the woods,” she said, exasperated. Generally June was very obedient; she wondered what had caught the little girl’s eye and caused her to wander off. None of the family had seen any wild animals beyond the line of trees since they moved there, but she supposed it was possible the saw a rabbit and gave chase.. She wasn’t angry with her, but the forest gave her a bad feeling and the thought that her daughter was in there gave her no shortage of chills. She cast a worried glance at her husband, telling him to go finish grilling and heading off for the line of trees.

As she approached, her uneasiness grew to such a point that she was almost physically repulsed by the place. A headache was forming at the base of her skull that almost seemed to manifest as buzzing. The branches of the trees looked like claws, reaching towards her greedily. The mother did her best to shake off the fears, pointedly looking down a lightly worn path between the trees, and stepped forward.

\--

June was tucked against her mother’s chest, clinging for dear life as the older woman ducked and weaved between the trees. The girl had stopped crying, intent on holding on, and her mother gasped in air into her surely aching lungs. They had been running for a long time, unable to find a way out of the woods. The sun had actually set quite a while ago, but there were no stars to give them direction and no moon to light their way.

Her mother slowed slightly, trying to catch her breath. Her head darted every which way looking for some break in the trees, but nothing revealed itself. It was completely silent except for their own breathing. No animals or rustling leaves to show that something lived in these god-forsaken woods. She came to stop, heaving in lungfuls of air.

“Do you think you can walk for a bit, honey? I think we lost it,” her mother asked, already bending over to set the girl down. Reluctantly, June unlaced her fingers and released her mother, standing uncomfortably in front of her. Unease coiled in her belly as she watched her mom catch her breath, hands on her knees. The air was still around them, only a slight chill to the air but it felt stagnant, like the air in the basement of her home.

After a moment, her mother held out a hand. It was covered in scratches and along her forearm was a deep cut that was bleeding sluggishly. Dirt covered every surface of her and her clothes were torn. The little girl looked down at her own dress; it used to be bright pink color, but now only held a hint of its original hue underneath the mud and debris. June hesitantly took the proffered hand before tucking herself close to her mother’s side as they began to walk.

They walked at a brisk pace, doing their best not to make any more noise than necessary. Leaves crunched under their feet and the sound seemed to echo for miles despite their caution. June winced whenever she cracked a branch underfoot, but her mother continued resolutely forward, heading whipping about to search for the thing that was chasing them.

After a while, June tugged on her mother’s hand, pointing towards a large boulder.

“Mommy, look! I think I passed that big rock when I came in earlier!” she whispered excitedly. They might finally be close to home!

 “I think you’re right, baby,” her mother whispered back. The set off, faster than before, the promise of getting out of the nightmare close at hand. June tripped over her own feet, forced to try and keep up with her mother who had almost broken into a sprint.

There! The tree line stretched before them and beyond it, June could see her house, windows lit up cheerfully. Giddy excitement bubbled in her chest and she reached out a hand towards the sight, somehow able to find the energy to run faster.

 Suddenly, her mother fell, almost dragging her daughter down with her. June looked behind her and paled in fear at what she saw. Her mother followed her daughters gaze and did the same, terror warping her features.

 They couldn’t quite see the creature, darkness obscuring most of its features, but inky black tentacles emerged from the shadows, seeming almost to be extensions of the shadows themselves. The limbs wound their way around the legs of the older woman, inching their way upwards. She cried out as they squeezed, staining the already dirty white pants she wore with a disgusting black slime. June stood stock still, fear rooting her in place.

 “Run, June, go!” her mother screamed. A moment later, the woman’s body was dragged along the forest floor into the darkness. Her screams echoed for just a second until they ended with a sickening crunch. A sudden hissing filled the air.

 “Ḧ̸̫̝́o̶̻͇̰̝̅͌n̷̢͐͆̈́͝e̶͙̠͚͓̐̾̓͠ẙ̷͎ͅ,̴͇̉͗ ̶̬͉͊͝ḇ̴̳͛ͅͅa̶̮̫͇̍̉̈́̎b̸̜͖̦̂̂̽y̴̡̺̅̏̕,” a voice rasped. It was not a voice that should have ever spoken human language. It gave the girl goosebumps. “J̴͓̭͙̱̹́̆͜u̶͇̔͌͐n̸̗̎͐͗͠ȩ̸̭͖̥̏͜ͅ.”

 Hearing her name in that inhuman voice snapped the little girl out of her stupor. With tears in her eyes, she turned and ran as fast as she could towards safety. June broke through the trees and kept running, terrified of being caught.

June was snatched up and she screamed, kicking and punching and biting at whatever grabbed her. Her father’s voice spoke warmly in her ear and she calmed gradually, screams devolving into wracking sobs as she clutched at his shoulders. Red and blue lights flashed against her eyelids. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a small crowd of people, all holding flashlights, and two police cars. Her brother seem to be walking towards her but stopped when her father gestured for him to stop. They were all gathered along the treeline, like they were about to go in to look for something.

 “You’re safe, honey. I’m right here,” her father soothed, petting her dirty hair. One half was still up as it had been before she went into the woods and other hung limply against her cheek. One of the officers walked up to them, hands braced against utility belt. He was older, a graying mustache on his upper lip. He looked at her sympathetically.

 “Are you alright, little lady?” he asked. June didn’t know how to respond, so she stayed silent, staring at him with tears making tracks on her dirty face. Her father nudged her but she kept her mouth closed. The officer sighed before speaking again. “Well, do you know where your mommy is? Is she still in there?”

 At that, her sobbing began anew. Both men were startled at the intense reaction. June’s father set her down and the little girl crumpled to her knees, wailing. The men crouched in front of her.

 “June, baby, it’s ok,” her father said, gripping her shoulders a little too tightly. June was frightening him, she knew, but she couldn’t stop crying, “What happened to mommy?”

 “S-she f-f-fell,” June cried, “She fell and it got her!”

 “What got her?” the officer asked firmly. He glanced towards the trees and June noticed how his body shivered, although he didn’t seem to be aware of the fact.

 “The man,” she said, hiccuping through her tears, “The man with no face.”


	2. Chapter 1

June Michaels rubbed at her temple with the pad of her index finger, a cup of steaming coffee in her other hand. She padded, barefoot, to the small dining room table next to the kitchen. The oversized t-shirt she wore brushed the tops of her thighs as she sat, hunching over her drink and heaving a sigh. Pale morning light streamed through the gauzy curtains, covering the table but not quite reaching her hands. Tentatively, she reached her fingertips forward until they were enveloped in warm light. Dust motes danced in the light and June forced herself to relax.

A door opened somewhere within the apartment and a few minutes later, the sound of a flushing toilet followed. The woman didn’t react to any of this, simply relishing the sensation of warmth and trying to banish the leftover feelings of fear from her nightmare. No, not a nightmare. A memory.

The nightmares used to be worse, especially right after the...incident. They were sparse over the years, finally allowing her to reintegrate herself among people and sleep over without waking up screaming. Recently, however, they had been coming back. Nine times out of ten they were the same dream, with that strange creature attacking her and her mom, the terror always fresh and never relenting.

Some, though, were different. Those always had a woman in them. June never saw her face but she felt familiar nonetheless. June would be forced to watch as that creature devoured the woman in incredible detail. It’s blank face would split in half to reveal hundreds of tiny, black teeth and a long, disgusting tongue. She would be stuck in place as it came towards her next and...she woke up. But always she was left with the feeling of being watched. These particular dreams had been occurring with more frequency, leaving her fearful and uneasy of some unseen threat,

She listened to the sounds of her boyfriend moving around and getting ready for the day. Every so often, she took a sip of her coffee, not really tasting it but using the scalding liquid to ground herself. It was lukewarm before he finally approached her from behind, straightening his tie and stuffing his phone and keys in his pockets. He lay a hand on her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You were supposed to sleep in,” he said, crossing to the coffee pot on the kitchen counter. She rolled her own cup in her hands as he poured himself a travel mug full of the brown liquid.

“Bad dreams,” she said, staring at her hands. She no longer had to reach towards the light; it covered her arms comfortably. She still felt cold.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. She was grateful for the offer, but she had never shared that part of her life with anyone, not even him. June wanted the past to stay in the past. She felt that as long as she didn’t acknowledge it that it didn’t happen. But it did. The dreams and her mother’s absence proved it.

“Well, alright. I’ll be back tonight and we’ll celebrate,” he said, giving her another kiss to her head. She reached for his tie and pulled him down to meet her lips and they shared a quick, sweet kiss.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked when they parted. He straightened his tie again and took a sip of his coffee

“It’s a secret, birthday girl.” He gave her a wink and then he was gone. The apartment was suddenly too quiet and June regretted the decision to take the day off of work. She pulled her knees to her chest and stared moodily out the window. It was going to be a long day.

\--

He took her to some fancy restaurant that was impossible to get a reservation at. She wondered what he did to get one. They had been looking for a time to go, both of them intrigued by the rich flavors promised on the menu. June was wholly surprised when he drove his car up to the valet stand and saw the fancy neon lettering. He was really treating her tonight and she couldn’t help the warmth that flooded her chest. She took his hand and stepped out when he opened the door, granting him an affectionate smile. Her dress received an appreciative look: a simple black dress with an open back that said elegant and sexy and she knew delighted him. Her boyfriend settled a hand on the small of her back, surreptitiously rubbing circles into her skin and they went inside.

They were seated at a corner table, dimmed lights just barely bright enough to read the menu. The couple ooh’ed and ahh’ed before deciding on two different dishes to share. They drank too much wine and other diners cast them dirty looks when they laughed a little bit too loud.

“Mm, Mark. You are so cute,” June giggled, tapping the tip of his nose with a single finger. Her cheeks were flushed red and his noticeably less so, needing to sober up faster than her. He grinned and grabbed her hand, kissing her palm.

“And you, Junie, are the most beautiful woman alive,” Mark said, looking into her eyes with a heated look that had June’s knees shaking. They had yet to order dessert, but wondered if maybe they should just skip out and get something sweeter at home. He leaned forward to kiss her and she tilted her head, letting out a hum of approval as his lips touched hers. She had kissed others before Mark, but none of them felt as right as this.

As he leaned away to look at her again, she let her eyes drift open a tiny bit. At first, all she saw was Mark. But almost like a magnet, her gaze was dragged away to point over her boyfriends shoulders, something having moved in her field of view. The whole restaurant was dark, so it was difficult to see what had caught her attention. A flash of white, however, had her blood running cold.

There was no mistaking it. The creature from her youth stood not 100 feet from where she and Mark sat, presumably staring in her direction. She couldn’t tell because it had no eyes but somehow she just knew. Or maybe it wanted her to know.

It hadn’t changed, still wearing an immaculate suit and face smooth and featureless. It made no move towards her but still she felt threatened, knowing the violence it wrought all those years ago. Cold terror seeped into her bones along with some other feeling that curled in her stomach she couldn’t identify. June’s eyes went wide and she started shaking with fear.

Just as Mark was asking her what was wrong, the server came by and delivered a small cake. They seemed not to notice the small panic attack that June was having and simply lit a single candle on the cake, quietly wishing her a happy birthday before leaving. June looked back to where that thing had been standing and saw nothing. Realizing that she had stopped breathing, she gulped in a huge breath of air.

“June, what’s wrong?” Mark asked, gently touching her face, concern in his voice. She didn’t know how to explain it to him without also divulging her past. Racking her brain for some excuse, she glanced at the cake.

“Oh, I just, uh...I saw the cake coming out and thought they would do a whole singing thing!” June laughed nervously. Mark looked doubtful, but she laughed off his concern to take a bit of their dessert. As she sliced into the tiny cake, she couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of guilt for lying to him. There was no point, though, in getting him riled up over something she only thought she saw. It must have been a trick of the light, she decided, absently taking a bite. June had not seen the creature since that day, except in her nightmares. And nightmares aren’t real.

June looked at the love of her life and shoved the guilt to the back of her mind. No, there was no use in worrying him over nothing.


	3. Chapter 2

June woke with a start, a scream half formed in her throat. Someone was shouting at her, but she couldn’t quite hear what they were saying over the blood rushing in her ears. Her eyes remained shut, squeezed so tightly that her nose was scrunched. Something was squeezing her wrists, holding her down and she flailed against the weight. June was filled with absolute terror and the adrenaline that came with it fueled her fight against her assailant. 

She had just decided to try using her teeth when a palm was slapped across her face, stunning her out of her conniption. Finally, her eyes opened and she cast them about wildly before settling on the form of her boyfriend over her. A sob tore out of her and her whole body went lax. Mark released her other wrist and hugged her close as she cried. The warmth of his skin against hers helped calm her mind, but her heart still beat frantically in her chest and she couldn’t help but look around the dark room for something that wasn’t there.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here,” Mark said. He squeezed her tight, intermittently pressing kisses to her temple and cheeks. Eventually her tears stopped and she was only hiccuping on every other breath. Mark helped her sit up, rubbing her back in slow circles and whispering encouraging things that she didn’t really hear. He got up at some point and June grabbed at him desperately begging him not to go, but he only assured her he was getting a glass of water.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Mark asked when he returned, handing her the glass and watching solemnly as she sipped at it. June looked down at the drink, feeling ashamed and silly. She had so far managed to not have one of these kinds of nightmares for a very long time, since before she met Mark. Seeing that thing at the restaurant must have really stressed her out.

Despite what just happened, she was still hesitant to talk about her past. Would he even believe her? There was very little documentation of what happened; a missing persons ad that ran in her hometown newspaper for a year before her dad lost hope and a cold case that never left that town. Nobody but her knew what happened and as the years went on, she even doubted her own memories. If the hallucinations were staring again, however, she needed to do something about them.

“Night terror,” she said simply, the lie sitting heavily on her tongue. Her guilty conscience begged her to tell the truth. It all weighed heavily on her and letting someone else take the burden for a while might ease her pain. But, no. The woman didn’t wish this knowledge on anyone. Let it die with time.

Mark looked at her dubiously. Of course, it was a literal night terror but he could tell that there was a reason behind it. June ducked her head, feigning ignorance as she gulped down the rest of the water. Very suddenly, she jumped up from the bed and cross the room to the dresser, pulling out activewear. Mark followed her movements with a concerned gaze and furrowed brow.

“What are you doing?” he asked, moving his legs to hang off the edge of the bed. June slid a pair of shorts up her legs.

“Gonna go running. Clear my head.” 

“At 3 AM? Come back to bed and talk to me, June,” Mark pleaded. June wanted so badly to do that, but she just couldn’t right now. She gave him a pained smile as she walked through the door.

“I’ll be back later.”

\--

Her feet pounded against the pavement as she jogged through the city. There was a trail near the forest that bordered that section of the city but she refused to go near it, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend. She felt much safer around the bustle of the streets than the trees; sure, it was less convenient than a specially made trail, but she could work past that.

Her mind drifted to the nightmare she had almost of its own will. June tried to put it out of her mind but found that she couldn’t ignore it, like it was trying to shove its way to the front so she would have to acknowledge it. A headache began to form as she fought against her own head.

The nightmare was different than what she had been having lately. She walked around a forest, all alone, and all the while feeling eyes watching her. After a while, she came across that creature in the suit, tall and pale, as well as her brother. It had its hands on his shoulder and it’s fingers dug into his flesh until blood poured out of his wounds profusely. June watched in horror as blood began to flow from every orifice. Her brother was released and he walked towards her and began attacking her. And then she woke up.

It was strange, due to the shift in content and the presence of her brother. They hadn’t talked in years. They were close, she thinks, before her mom...died, but she was too young to be sure. Either way, he treated her differently after that. She thinks he blamed her for their mother’s death. Which was fair, she thought. He had started using hard drugs sometime while in high school. Dad had to tell her, since she was sent off to live with an aunt, being incapable of living next to the forest where her mother died. Last she heard, Zach was in a rehab that Dad was paying for near her old house. She had been annoyed, wondering what pain he had to kill when she was the one who went through it all. 

Her dad hadn’t sold the house after that night. June couldn’t figure out why he would want to stay. His wife had been murdered--’missing’ according to the police since they never found a body--in the woods behind their house. He let June escape to another family member, but remained behind with Zach. It couldn’t have been easy for either one of them. She determined to call her father sometime soon and ask about it. Hopefully it was an answer she could handle.

She grimaced as she rounded the corner of a building, passing a night-shift worker heading home. Normally she would do her running after work, when there were still plenty of people milling about. Safety in numbers, she reasoned, but even in crowds she did not feel entirely safe. Just a preventative rather than a cure. Her mind wandered more as she ran through the nearly empty streets, not noticing where she was really going. Before she knew it, June was on an empty street lined with ramshackle buildings. 

A single street lamp, the light blinking intermittently, cast disturbing shadows against the walls of the presumably empty buildings. June turned back the way she came, deciding the long way around was probably best. When she turned, however, she found that the brightly lit area she had come from was suddenly dim and looked an awful lot like what was behind her. She whipped her head around and, yes, both ends of the street had the same type of dilapidated structures where they hadn’t before. The street lamp still sputtered ahead of her.

June hesitantly walked to stand under the light, desperate for some sort of feeling of safety that she feared she was rapidly losing. She strained her ears for the sounds of civilization but everything was eerily quiet. Only her heartbeat made any sort of noise.

A buzzing sensation began to form at the base of her skull and she closed her eyes in discomfort. When she opened them, her heart stopped. Standing on the other side of the street was the creature. Just like at the restaurant, it stared at her, unmoving. June tried to swallow but her throat felt paralyzed with fear. She regretted forgetting her phone when she left her apartment earlier.

They both stood there for a few long minutes, staring each other down. The headache grew to a dull thudding against her skull. She felt something warm dripping in her nose and tasted blood on her tongue. All the while the thing didn’t move and she did her best not to blink, lest it somehow trigger the creature. Eventually, though, her eyes grew too dry to resist any longer and her eyelids closed, just for a moment. That was all it took.

It was suddenly standing right in front of her. Her vision blurred with the sudden pain his presence wrought on her head. June screamed and turned on her heel to run, but the pain caused her legs to buckle and she fell to the concrete sidewalk, skinning her hands and scraping the bottom of her chin. The pressure in her skull almost blinded her and she was forced to crawl, panicked and unseeing, away from the threat. Something slimy slid up her leg and dragged her back.

Her vision suddenly cleared as she was flipped onto her back to face the creature. Hot tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as past and present began to merge. It’s face came closer to hers, ripping open to reveal razor sharp teeth and a tongue that swiped along the side of her face, leaving a trail of saliva. June began to struggle against it, kicking and punching and generally making things difficult. Her antics were quickly put to a stop as three more black tentacles curled firmly around her extremities. It’s long, pale fingers twisted in her hair and yanked it painfully to pull her head aside. 

All the while, June sobbed and begged for the creature to stop. It’s face is at her jugular and she heard it breathe in deeply, a deep guttural sound emanating from its throat. The woman whimpered when she feels teeth scrap across the sensitive skin. Down below, one of the tentacles crept up towards the juncture of her thighs. She began her struggling anew, even more frightened as this potential new threat.

She squeezed her eyes shut as it brushed along thighs and along the edge of her panties. Her frantic movements did not seem to deter the monster at all; he continued to sniff and lick at her neck and collarbone as the tentacles inched closer to her core. June bit her lip so hard it bled as it stroked her slit slowly and let out a gasp as it slipped inside. The feeling was wholly uncomfortable as it undulated within her, stroking her walls. A heat that was not her own emanated from the limb and spread to her body, leaving her panting and squirming. 

“H̷̟̭̏͝ͅo̷̯͓̦̬̔͠n̵̗̕ē̶̮̈͆͜y̷͇̐̑͆ͅ,̸̪̃̐̄ ̴̢͙̘̉̓̋b̶̮̭̆͋͆̂ã̸̧̠͍͓̓̑̆b̶̜̲͙̄̇y̴̹̙̮͌̌̂̚,” it rasped in her ear. It’s breath was fetid and she gagged even as she was being stimulated. It said the exact same thing as it did all those years ago. It remembered her.

The tentacle inside pushed further in, growing in circumference and stretching her beyond what her body was used to. Whatever secretion it was leaking into her erased any pain, howeverm and the sensation of the tip pushing against her cervix had her seeing stars. June was horrified at her body's response, but she only weakly fought at the hold it had on her, The feeling of being filled was overwhelming and her senses were being clouded with primal lust.

Very suddenly, the tentacle began to move inside her at a rapid pace. It slammed into her and it should have been painful, but she felt only an intense arousal that grew in spite of her mind screaming at her that this was wrong. Juices leaked out of her cunt as the muscles tightened around the limb pumping into her. Her orgasm overtook her suddenly and her back arched, mouth open in a silent scream. It pulled away from her roughly, leaving her limbs bruised and twitching with aftershocks.

“S̶̩͋o̸̘͇͑o̵̞̻͍̝̔̍̏͠n̷̪̥͙̝̿̅,̸̝͕̘͌ ̴̡̯̦̒̎͒ͅI̶̡̟͛̏̂̂ ̶͔̠̈́w̷̲̜͋̽̀i̷̯̲͂̍͠l̷̨̩̓ͅͅl̸̘̲̦͔̈́ ̶̛̗̰́͗̄ḧ̴͖͚́̒a̸̲̠͗͊͌v̷̰̰̱̩́͘e̵̻̬̿̎͝ ̴̥͊͗ỷ̵͎̹͓̉ơ̵̠͉̜̋ū̵̡̻̺̹̊͊̕,” it garbled out in it’s distorted English.

And then it was gone. It left her in a puddle of her own juices on the sidewalk in an abandoned neighborhood. Except...She blinked and the houses changed into trees and concrete into dirt. She could see the city beyond the tree line, sun rising behind the skyscrapers. 

Desperate to be someplace safe, she brushed herself off and limped back home. 

 


	4. Chapter 3

Someone was staring at her.

For what seemed like the millionth time, June looked over her shoulder while she worked on a report at her computer. There were only a few people around her, most people having gone home for the day, and those that remained were intent on their work at their own desks. She couldn’t see any obvious eyes on her, but still the feeling wouldn’t go away. Awful shivers ran up and down her spine every time she tried to put her head back down to work, preventing her from focusing.

It had been a few days since she was assaulted by the monster. She hadn’t told Mark what had happened on her run, simply saying she fell. He did try, though, to wring the truth out of her. He hounded her all morning as she got ready for work, neglecting his own morning rituals to ask her questions. June just assured him she was okay and, really, she just tripped on some uneven sidewalk, don’t worry. The conversation ended when she left the apartment, though she expected more questions when she returned home.

When she undressed for her shower, her panties were stained black with some kind of dark, viscous fluid. She touched it lightly with a finger and it caused the skin to go warm and tingly, a faint replication of what the thing had done to her earlier. Shivers ran down her spine and bile rose up her throat as images from her assault replayed themselves in her head. That creature had forced her body into arousal, but for what? It wanted to torture her, she thought as she scrubbed the underwear vigourously, before giving up and tucking them discreetly at the bottom of the bathroom trashcan. 

Coming back to the present, she continued to feel eyes on the back of her neck. She bit her lip, trying to concentrate on the numbers and words in front of her. Finally, June scraped her chair back, the sound dulled against the carpeted floors. It was probably just nerves; a monster from her childhood just assaulted her and she had taken no time to recover. She just needed something to relax her mind and body.

Her heels clicked as she walked to the break room. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, the feeling still present despite having moved from her desk. June tried to put the thought out of her head and instead focused on what type of tea she would make. They had a few different kinds, but she always felt better after a hot cup of green tea. The bitter taste was familiar and grounding.

She set about boiling water and waited with hands braced against the counter. She let her mind wander. June had worked hard to overcome the intense paranoia of her childhood. Years of therapy had convinced her that she didn’t see what she thought she saw, but her run the other morning changed all that. She supposed it could still have been a hallucination, but she had had physical evidence on her underwear and bruising on her ankles and wrists. Absently, June rubbed at the tender underside of her left wrist, the skin yellowing. Even when she was getting ready this morning, days later, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her, and the eyes definitely didn’t belong to her boyfriend. Even now, sequestered in the windowless break room, her skin still prickled and she had to fight the urge to flee.

And there was the matter of what it had said. Its words had been distorted, as if being spoken through static, and the syllables strange and heavy. English was obviously not its native language, but it had spoken it with her. Because it wanted her to know that it was going to possess her. What did it want with her? The soreness between her thighs suggested sex, but why? Had it formed some sort of obsession that began when she escaped years ago? It had called her nicknames her mother had given her, in some mockery of affection that had her stomach turning. She had never let Mark call her those things, the names making her flinch with the reminders of the past.

A headache began to form as she thought about all of this. It started in the base of her skull, buzzing like a trapped fly, before circled around towards her forehead and temples. She squeezed her eyes tight against the pain, willing the water to boil faster so she could have just a little relief. Her head pounded rhythmically like a drum. The kettle began whistling but the sound was distant. June was able to barely open her eyes but immediately shut them again upon seeing the multiple drops of blood staining the countertop, blood that she could now feel dripping from her nose. 

Through the pain-fueled haze she reached a hand towards the screeching kettle, intending to move it away from the stove. She watched her arm move as if in slow motion as she instead, placed her palm flat on the side of it, burning the soft flesh immediately on the metal. A gasp tore from her throat and she fell to her knees, cradling her injured hand against her chest and holding her head with the other. The pain had cleared her head for a moment before the pressure was back, pressing against the inside of her head and making it hard to think.

Blindly, she reached a hand up towards the counter to lift herself up. Her knees where wobbly and she had to use all of her arm strength to heave herself up. Through the agony in her head, she was able to squint open her eyes, just so she could see where a chair was. If she could just sit down…

She wished she hadn’t opened them. Her gaze was pointed downwards and she saw smartly shined black dress shoes. She tried to trick herself into thinking it could be anyone; black dress shoes were common in the office with business casual being the dress code. Something compelled her against her will to keep moving her gaze upward. Black dress pants covered impossibly long legs and June swore her heart stopped beating when she saw the white fingertips that hung at the figure’s knees.

She knew exactly what was standing in front of her, but still she continued to look up,craning her neck to see a blank face staring down at her. Hot blood gushed from her nose and she tasted iron on her tongue. Her vision was wavering, black spots appearing as it leaned down towards her, face ripping open in a facsimile of a smile. June couldn’t breathe as it flicked out it’s long tongue to lick at the blood streaming down her face. A pleased hiss emanated from it as it tasted her and she whimpered, terror rooting her to the spot. The knuckles on the hand that was gripping the counter were white. Her eyes darted to the still hissing kettle and without thinking, pulled it down and smashed it against the monsters face.

It had her against the wall in an instant, painfully slamming her against the drywall. It’s teeth were bared in a snarl and the hot water on its face steamed. She could feel the heat of the vapor as it invaded her space. One of it’s long, white hands gripped her throat and she fought for air, clawing at its fingers fruitlessly. 

It’s other hand entered her line of sight and she stared at it fearfully, movements stilling. It pointed a long finger tipped in a sharp claw at a spot on her chest that had been revealed during her struggle. Ever so slowly, it carved something into her flesh and she cried out, the pain feeling like flames licking at her skin. June started babbling, pleading with it to let her go,  _ please _ . It only squeezed her throat tighter, effectively cutting off her air supply. She quickly grew lightheaded and spots again danced in front of her eyes. A few hot tears escaped out of the corners of her eyes as she wondered if she was about to die.

It suddenly released her, letting her crumple to the floor. June gulped in huge mouthfuls of air, coughing as her esophagus was irritated by the sudden influx. Through watery eyes, she looked up at the creature once more. The last thing she saw before she passed out was it’s hideous grin, tongue flicking out to lick at a spot of her blood on its lip.

\--

June woke up in an unfamiliar room. Everything was white and there was an incessant beeping somewhere to her left. She realized she was in a hospital room as her mind emerged from the fog and she relaxed, feeling mildly safe. Hospitals were safe, she told herself, but part of her had doubts.

She took stock of her condition. Gauze was wrapped around her burnt hand and she felt the sensation of something cool under the steady pulsing of the wound. There was an IV in the crook of her elbow, attached to a bag of fluids. Her nostrils felt crusted with dried blood and there was a wrapping around her head. She touched the back of her scalp and winced at that particularly tender spot the gauze covered. Her breath also rasped in her throat and swallowing was uncomfortable.

To her right, Mark slept in an uncomfortable looking chair, arms crossed over his chest and head lolling back. His mouth was open in a half snore and June couldn't help the small smile that curled her lips at the sight. A lump in her throat formed and she bit back a sudden sob. She obviously wasn't quiet enough, though, as her boyfriend woke with a jolt, looking around wildly before spotting June awake and crying.

 

"June! Are you alright? What happened?" He asked, scooting his chair closer and taking her unbandaged hand in his own. Her other came up to press into her eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears. Mark didn't press her as she cried, only massaged her hand to convey comfort. 

 

"How did I get here?" June asked when she had settled down a bit. She pointedly ignored his questions, not ready to get into that can of worms just yet.

 

"One of your coworkers, Tina, I think, found you unconscious in the breakroom and called 911. She said it looked like you had been beaten up."

I was, she thought. She stared down at the rumpled white sheets she clutched in her hands. Her eyes burned with more tears but she forced them down. She took her hand from Mark to rub at her chest, feeling sick when she felt the wound there. It was scabbed over and the edges burned with her body's attempt to fight infection. Why had they left this uncovered?

 

"Can you get a bandaid for this?" She asked Mark, pointing at whatever the creature had carved into her skin. 

He gave her a confused expression. "For what? There's nothing there."

That was impossible. She could feel the raised scabs, plain as day, on her skin. Confusion and dread settled in her stomach. Could he really not see it? Was she imagining the feeling on her fingertips? 

 

"...happened, June?" She realized Mark had been talking to her and she apologized, asking him to repeat himself. 

 

"What happened, June? Who would assault you at your office?" He asked, clearly worried for her safety and health. Obviously, it was justified given that she was sitting in a hospital, multiple wounds littering her body. She didn’t think it was right to hide things from him anymore, especially now that it had gotten so bad in such a small amount of time. Still, she hesitated to say anything. What could she say? An insane, faceless man from my childhood is stalking me and possibly haunting my dreams? Oh, and he also killed my mom? It sounded insane. Telling someone could provoke it, a small voice in the back of her mind added. 

 

“Did you get a good look at him? The cops are going to want to ask you questions,” Mark said. He clenched his fist into the sheets, anger clouding his features, “If I ever find that guy…”

June’s heart leapt into her throat as images of what the monster could do to the love of her life. That thing wanted her and Mark would only get in it’s way. She couldn’t stay here where he could get hurt. The heart monitor next to her spiked as she panicked.

 

“I-it’s just some guy. I don’t know how he got there.  _ Please _ , Mark just leave it!” she begged. He climbed into the hospital bed with her to hold her close as she sobbed. After a few minutes, her face and eyes puffy, she came to some conclusions. 

One, she had to get away from Mark. Her presence was a danger to his health and she would never forgive herself if that thing got to him.

Two, she was going to have to tell him about the monster. He could either believe her or not, but telling him the truth would at least set that part of her mind at ease.

Three, she was not going to roll over and submit to this beast. June was a good runner and she wasn’t physically weak by any means. She was sure a crowbar to it’s stupid fucking face would be at least somewhat effective. Any fight was a good fight.

 

“Alright, I’ll tell you,” she said, staring at a wall and feeling his head shift to look at her, “But not here. When we get home.”

He nodded against the top of her head and June suddenly felt exhausted, despite having just woken up. She let her eyes drift close and fell into a thankfully dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

June sat across from Mark at their tiny dining table, fidgeting with her hands staring at the whorls in the wood. He looked at her intensely, ready for her explanation for what had been going on. She still didn’t want to tell him but things had come to a head after the incident at work. 

She had promised him answers but kept finding ways to put it off after leaving the hospital. He was getting short with her excuses and, while he was by no means an angry person, would snap at her whenever she blew him off. Finally, it had come to this.

The monster had left her alone over the last few days, not even entering her dreams. The woman still woke up exhausted but was thankful that he sleep wasn’t interrupted by horrifying nightmares. Her guard was still up, though. It had left her alone for years before; she was sure that it would come back for her. 

 

She let out a sigh. “So, you know that my mom died. I never told you how.

 

“I was playing in the backyard. My mom was on the porch watching me and Dad was grilling. It was just a nice day out and we were enjoying it.”

 

Tears pricked at her eyes and she had to swallow the lump growing in her throat at the memories. Mark reached a hand across the table to hold her and she realized she was shaking. Not even halfway through and she was already a mess.

 

“There was a forest behind our house. Mom told me not to go in there without anyone. Bears, she said. I had always listened to her until that day. I looked up at some point and there was a man, or what looked like a man, at the tree line. I thought he looked sick, his skin was so pale, so I went up to him to ask if he needed help. When I got up close, I realized that he--it--had no face and its skin was white. White as bone, like it had no blood.

 

“It asked me if it could show me something. It had no mouth and it was  _ speaking  _ and somehow that hadn’t frightened me at the time. It said I had to follow it in and I did. I don’t know why I did, but something was pulling me in and I was curious. So I followed it deeper into the woods and I slowly felt less safe the deeper we went in. I asked to go back, my mom would be worrying. It assured me that it was only a little farther.

 

“Finally we stopped. He opened up a hole in the ground, a bunker I guess, and told me to look inside. It smelled awful and it was so dark. I said no thank you and started to leave. Suddenly he was right in front of me and his face started to...rip open and I could see so many teeth. He was smiling and reaching for me. I screamed and ran as fast as I could. 

 

“Somehow my mom found me and we ran together. It was dark before we found the way out. Just as we got there, though, it took her. Dragged her into the dark. It said my name and I ran--or, it let me run. It could have caught me earlier, too, but I think it likes the chase. It wanted to  _ torture _ me.”

 

June heaved a breath and looked at the stunned expression on Mark’s face. She had been hoping for some weight to be lifted on her chest but she only felt more miserable. Dredging up these memories was painful. But now she was done and she could address the present.

 

“I’ve had nightmares for years, but they’re getting worse. More...real. I thought maybe I had imagined that creature but it has appeared to me twice and I’ve had physical evidence of it’s attacks. It’s real and it wants me.”

 

“Why?” Mark asked. His brow was furrowed in consternation. 

 

“I don’t know,” she admitted, though she was fairly sure it’s intentions were sexual in nature. Or maybe it just wanted to hurt her and it’s attack while she was running was just a way of causing her pain. There was too much she didn’t know, making the situation even more terrifying.

 

“This is...insane,” he said, leaning back in his chair. The comforting presence of his hands on hers left and she suddenly felt very alone.

 

“It’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I know it’s crazy. But there is this thing that it not human following me and it’s not going to stop until it has me.”

 

Mark was quiet for a little bit. She didn’t blame him; it was a lot to process and he still had to decide if she was clinically insane. 

 

“I believe you,” he said abruptly. June looked at him incredulously and a warmth bloomed in her chest. Tears welled in her eyes and she almost cried. He didn’t think she was crazy. Mark came around the table to hold her as she began to cry again, happy that he hadn’t rejected her story and therefore her. Though she supposed that if he had, it would make the next part easier.

 

“I have to go away,” she said, pushing him away so that she could look him in the eyes, “I couldn’t forgive myself if it hurt you and it  _ will _ hurt you. I think that’s why it killed my mom.”

 

“I’m not leaving you,” Mark protested, “I won’t let you face it alone.”

 

That set her off blubbering again. How could she deserve such a man? Impulsively, she grabbed at her collar and pulled him close, mashing her lips against his. Their teeth clicked but he didn’t seem to care as he placed his palms on her waist and pulled her into his lap. The atmosphere had changed instantly from somber to desperate. June’s skin felt electric every time his skin touched hers and soon she was tugging off her shirt, then his shirt, and then they were both naked and fucking in their shared bed.

It felt entirely different than what the creature had done to her. Mark was gentle but still intense as he pumped his fingers into her pussy. Hanging on to her every moan and worshipping her skin with kisses placed on her most sensitive parts. Normally she wasn’t very vocal, but she screamed and moaned her pleasure without restraint. She wanted to lose herself in the sensations he was giving her and forget the fear of the last few weeks.

Her orgasm had her back arching to the point of pain. When she had come down, Mark removed his slick fingers, gazing at her heatedly as he licked them clean. Her legs spread wide, she folded him into her embrace and cried out when he entered her. 

She had not felt love so intense as right now. She was not a fool who would equate love with sex, but the way Mark held her and the sweet nothings he whispered in her ear as he thrusted deep into her core made her sure that this is what making love was like. June wept happy tears while she held him, hopeful for the first time in a while.

Mark slowed his pace to a languid roll and propped himself up on an arm to look at her. He was breathing heavily and his hair stuck to his forehead but he was gorgeous to her. His eyes were intense and she began to wonder if he was rethinking what he said earlier when he spoke.

 

“Marry me,” he said in between breaths. Her stomach clenched and she blinked a few times, confused. She wholly expected him to laugh and brush it off and continue fucking her. When he just continued looking at her expectantly, she realized he was serious.

 

“After all this. When we get rid of this thing,” he said. He snapped his hips forward suddenly and she mewled as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. He continued to stimulate the spot precisely, leaving her a gibbering mess. It was hard to think through the lust and the pressure that was building in her groin.

He wanted to fight  _ together _ . As much as she didn’t want to see him hurt, she was grateful for his offer of help. She didn’t think the love she felt for this man could grow any more. June smiled and smoothed the hair back from his forehead.

 

“Yes,” she whispered. Mark beamed at her and ducked in for a kiss, renewing the speed of his hips and bringing her to a quick finish. After a few more thrusts, June’s legs twitching with the overstimulation, he came inside her. Mark rolled off of her and they lay there for a few moments, breathing heavily and basking in the afterglow. 

A hand hesitantly touched hers where it lay by her side and she gripped it assuringly. The monster was terrifying but maybe with a little foresight and Mark’s help, they could beat it or at least discourage it from pursuing her. She let the warm glow of sex and love overwhelm the dread that continued to niggle at the back of her mind.

 


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the first part of this chapter was written two years ago when I began writing this :)))  
> Also, thank you everyone for the comments. I'm so glad you like it so far ;w;

_ The forest is quiet, not even a breeze to rustle the dead leaves on the ground. The sky above was starless and the moon was missing, making the night ominously dark. The tall trees reached toward the sky, branches resembling menacing claws that waited to clutch at anything that got near their spindly fingers. _

_ June stepped lightly among the trees, careful not to make too much noise. Although she could see nothing around her, a cold shiver worked its way up and down her spine as she peered through the shadows. It was too dark to see and her vision only adjusted to the low light so much. She could see shapes, but no details. _

_ She tried to avoid the leaves under her feet, but there were so many that they crunched almost constantly beneath her shoes. The sound rang out in the silence, punctuating the silence. Her hands reached up to rub at her bare arms. Goosebumps raised along them as her fear grew. She wandered aimlessly, unsure of where she was and what to do. It seemed like the middle of nowhere, but she was sure if she kept walking in the same direction that she would find a landmark eventually. _

_ After a few more minutes of walking, she stopped. It felt like she had been walking for hours, but she couldn’t remember more than the past few minutes. Pursing her lips, she looked around, trying to find some kind of path other than the one she was on, anything that could get her out of here. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard something. _

_ There was a low rasping that could have easily been mistaken for leaves in the wind, except there was no wind. Her body was frozen as the sound seemed to move around her, like it was circling her. Her lower lip trembled as the terror welled up inside her, threatening to release itself in the form of a scream. Just as suddenly as it started though, the sound was gone and she was left alone again. _

_ Her breath was ragged as she continued walking, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. Something for following her, taunting her, hunting her. Now more than ever she wanted to get the hell out before it found her. _

_ Something pulled at her gut to make a sudden right into the trees. The very faint outline of a path wound under feet, the worn ground being taken over again by nature at the edges. Dead bushes and weeds pulled at her legs and for the first time she noticed that she was wearing a gauzy, white nightgown. The edges of it were torn and dirty with what she assumed was forest debris. The way the bottom stuck to her legs before peeling off as she walked made her skin tingle uncomfortably. The woman decided not to think about it and continued trudging through the undergrowth. _

_ Finally, she approached a clearing with a large pile of leaves in the center. Lying on top of it was a woman. She was naked and appeared to be sleeping, a steady rise and fall of her chest assuring she was alive. She looked away, embarrassed but moved forward in case the woman needed help. _

_ “Hello?” she says, still averting her eyes, “Are you alright? Do you need help?” _

_ There was no reaction from the prone woman and she was forced to move closer to get her attention. Suddenly, the naked woman’s eyes flashed open wide and stared at her. For a moment, they only looked at each other and then the woman slowly began to put her hands to her stomach. Her breath was rasping and rattling as she clawed at her skin until she blood welled up and flowed down her sides. Distantly, a baby’s cry could be heard. _

_ June could only watch in horror as the woman tore away at her stomach, blood flowing down in rivulets onto the ground below. Suddenly, the woman’s face changed into her own and she screamed aloud, scrambling away backwards. Her heart stopped when she bumped into something solid. Ever so slowly, she turned around; she almost fainted at what she saw. _

_ A man, taller than anyone she’s ever seen before, stood in front of her. His arms hung limply at his sides, grotesquely long. He was dressed in a black suit, a red tie around his neck creating a contrast to the rest of him. But what was most terrifying was his face, or lack thereof. The skin where it should be was flat and colorless, no mark of where facial features should be or the color of blood running under his skin. _

_ She blinked and the next second he was holding something in his arms. The front of his jacket was slick with red. The woman looked down at herself and sobbed when she saw her own gown was stained with blood as well. She could feel the warmth of it running down her legs. _

_ Tears flowed from her eyes as an intense pain began to originate suddenly from her pelvis. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, curling into a fetal position. A shadow fell over her and she could see the tall man leaning over her body. His gaze seemed curious, despite not having anything to express it with. The bundle in his arms shrieked and a tiny white hand poked out the blanket. _

_ She was not left anytime to contemplate this, however, as her attention was drawn back to the man. His face ripped open from ear to ear, or would if he had them, with a tearing sound like paper. She only had a moment to scream before he descended upon her and everything went black. _

 

\--

 

June shot up from the car seat, a strangled scream leaving her lips. She felt the car jerk before continuing straight again. It took her a minute to recognize where she was at and she relaxed back against the faux leather when she realized she was safe--more or less.

Mark was still driving, eyes focused on the road but he cast her worried glances as she adjusted herself in the small space. She laid a hand on his thigh and gave him a tight smile.

 

“Nightmare?” he asked, laying his hand on top of hers. 

 

“Yeah. This one was...weird,” June said, “It felt...like deja vu, I guess. Not a recurring nightmare but more like...I don’t know.”

 

“Like it happened before?” he suggested.

 

“Yeah but...not to me. There was this woman and then she was me and there was so much blood and it was there and I think it was holding a baby?”

 

“Weird.” Mark squeezed her hand reassuringly. June sighed and looked out the window at the passing landscape. She couldn’t help but feel there was more to the dream, like someone was telling her something. Or maybe the creature was showing her what it was going to do to her. She shivered as she remembered all of the blood. Hopefully the former.

She and Mark packed up some things and left the city a few days ago. After talking things through a bit, they decided that they would head back to her childhood home. The city was too crowded to go walking around with weapons and she knew that the creature at least had a base of operations behind her old house. And maybe her dad could help them out as well.

She rubbed at the symbol that had been carved into her chest absently. When she returned from the hospital, she found that it wasn’t visible in her reflection and Mark couldn’t see it, though he believed her about it’s presence. It was a small circle with an X through it. She tried to find some information on it, hoping that she could learn something about the creature. Instead, she found only obscure references to some missing person cases and to some thing called “The Slender Man”. Only legend and nothing particularly useful beyond some accounts of a tall man taking children.

It had obviously been involved with many more people than her. Why was there no information on it? Anxiously, she continued massaging the brand on her skin.

Mark turned onto a familiar road and suddenly June was nervous for an entirely different reason. She hadn’t seen her father in years and although they called each other every so often, she hadn’t seen him in person since she went to live with her aunt. She was worried that it would be awkward. He knew they were coming, but still... Her fingernails found their way to her mouth involuntarily and she chewed nervously as she saw the old farmhouse grow larger ahead of them

The nail of her pinky finger was almost down to the skin when Mark cut the engine and took her hand from her mouth. He kissed the back of her  hand before opening the door and stepping out. June took to biting her cheek as they each grabbed their things and walked towards the front porch. 

Just as June reached the bottom step, the screen door opened and her brother Zach stepped out, glaring at her. She blinked in confusion, not realizing that he would be at home and not at rehab. He was haggard and that was an understatement. Skinny, collarbone jutting starkly below his neck, and absolutely sickly looking. Dark circles underneath his eyes and pockmarks riddled every visible inch of flesh. When he sneered at her, she could see his teeth were yellow. His hair hung limp and stringy from his scalp and his whole appearance disgusted her just as much it concerned her. Despite their bad relationship, Zach was still her brother and her heart ached at the sight of him.

When she opened her mouth to break the silence that gathered between them, her father bustled out of the doorway behind Zach, gently nudging his son aside as he reached towards his daughter. She grinned wide as she met him halfway up the steps and was enveloped in the biggest bear hug she had received since...since she left home. June forced the tears down and just focused on the smell of aftershave and gunpowder surrounding her.

 

“Welcome home, Junebug,” he murmured. They hugged for a few more seconds before both stepped back, smiling genuinely. Her father gestured for them all to come inside, taking her bags and rambling on about something or another that happened in town. June was glad that seeing her father again was so easy and followed him in, but not without casting a glance towards the woods that seemed to loom over the house. Quickly, she went inside and into the relative safety of her home and the people who loved her.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your support!! We're gearing up for the end.

June put off talking to her father about why she and Mark were there until the next day, although she felt the urge to get things over with as quickly as possible. The idea of spending a night with the woods right outside her window was terrifying, but she also wanted to spend some time with her family. She had spent so long running away from her fears that she had forgotten what being able to simply hug her father felt like. 

She tried to talk to her brother the night they got in. Their dad had been talking to her for hours and finally she was able to pawn him off on Mark so she could take a breather. They seem to get along well and she was comfortable leaving her boyfriends--fiances, she thought with a secret smile--side to be with her brother. June walked over to where he leaned against the banister, glowering at everyone.

“Needed a break from dad,” she joked. She took a seat on one of the steps so she would be eye level with him, which put her about a third of the way to the second floor. 

 

Zach scoffed. “20 years not good enough for you?”

 

Annoyance crept up and she felt her smile falter. He was still being an ass? They hardly knew each other anymore, he could at the very least be distantly polite. The feeling died as soon as it came; they didn’t really know each other, did they? She missed him, despite their differences. They were close once, they could be again.

 

“I’m sorry I left, but after what happened…”

 

“You mean when you got mom killed?” He shoved himself on the railing, casting her a dirty look. “Dad may be willing to forgive you but I’m not here for your shit.”

 

“I miss her, too, but you don’t have to be an ass,” she snapped. Maybe she was wrong. He seemed determined to be nasty to her despite her offer of an olive branch. 

 

“Someone has to hold you responsible.” He turned on his heel and stalked towards the kitchen, leaving her open-mouthed in astonishment. Zach was treating her like she had killed her mother with her own hands, instead of a mistake she made when she was too young to know better. She dropped her face into her hands in exasperation.

That was yesterday. Now June sat at the table with pancakes her father made, enjoying the fluffy cakes and sipping freshly brewed coffee. The morning was idyllic, like the calm before the storm and she tried to enjoy it as much as possible. 

She had had another nightmare the previous night, similar to the one she had on the trip there but even more graphic. As soon as she jolted awake, she vomited into the trashcan next to the bed, Mark rubbing circles into her back as she heaved. Her hands gripped the mug a little tighter as she thought of it.

June forced a tight smile as her father sat down in front of her with his own breakfast. Mark was sitting next to her, one hand on her thigh and the other using a fork to shovel down pancakes. Zach was nowhere to be seen and she felt a little guilty for being glad he wouldn’t be joining them. 

 

“What’s wrong, Junebug?” her father asked. She watched as he slathered butter on his pancakes and absolutely drenched them in syrup.

 

“Wrong? Does something have to be wrong?” She laughed nervously. Was she that transparent? She must really be on edge if her emotions are showing that much. Or perhaps her father just knew her better than she thought he did.

 

“You wouldn’t have come back if there wasn’t,” he pointed out, punctuating the statement by pointing a food-laden fork towards her before sweeping the utensil to his mouth. He watched her with knowing eyes as he chewed. She sighed and set down her mug, casting a glance towards Mark before she settled her gaze on the older man.

 

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” she asked.

 

He thought for a moment. “Let’s go good first.”

 

Wordlessly, she held up her left hand where a simple silver band glittered on her ring finger. Mark had surprised her with it suddenly just before they left, admitting that he had bought it a while ago. He knew that she wasn’t a huge fan of gaudy jewelry and so got her the plain ring she wore now. She was glad of it; it felt like proof of their decision and made her more determined to end the beast that brought them there.

Her father squinted at the band before his face broke into a huge grin. June laughed as he knocked over his chair in his effort to swing around the table and gather her up in a bone-crushing hug. While still holding her in a half-hug, he made Mark promise to treat her right, the younger man nodding solemnly before also smiling, eyes shining. The mood was lightened considerably and her father was still chuckling as he settled back into his chair. He beamed at both of them.

 

“The bad news couldn’t possibly outweigh the good, now can it?” he said, stuffing another bite into his mouth and chewing merrily. 

 

“The thing that killed mom? It wants me now.”

 

It went quiet. He swallowed what was in his mouth thickly and set his fork down. His face looked green.

 

“You saw it?” he whispered. His eyes bulged and a vein stood out on his forehead. June grabbed for Mark’s hand underneath the table.

 

“It attacked me. Multiple times.”

 

Her father let out a shaky breath and leaned back in his chair, the wood groaning with the movement. He wiped a hand across his forehead and June had the thought that her father looked old all of a sudden. She was lucky that her father never doubted her story, unlike the cops. Her brother believed her, too, but instead of being kind chose to treat her like a pariah.

They were silent as her father mulled over the information, no doubt being taken back to that day 20 years ago when his wife was brutally murdered. Their breakfast lay forgotten in front of them, getting soggy and cold. Mark squeezed her hand underneath the table and she gave him a weak smile.

 

“What are you planning on doing?” her father finally asked, weariness tinging his voice. He tucked his hands into his armpits and watched her expectantly.

 

June fixed him with a determined stare. “I’m going to fight it.”

 

“That’s my girl,” he chuckled weakly. Again, he pushed back from the table, slower this time, and gestured for them to follow him down to the basement. He led them over to door that had three different padlocks on it, unlocking each and then going inside. Turning on the overhead light revealed what was essentially an armory. 

 

“I see out by the trees every once in a while,” her father explained as check various guns and knives, “Like it’s mocking me, the bastard.”

 

June gingerly picked up a wicked looking machete, testing the edge and wincing when it drew blood. Mark picked up a machine gun, turning it this way and that with an uncertain expression. The man was a teddy bear and had never held anything more than a pistol and only for gun safety purposes. She appreciated that he was putting aside his pacifistic tendencies to help her.

 

“Everytime I raise my gun to shoot it, it’s gone. One second there and then poof!” Her father was loading various guns, methodical and precise, and the clicking sounds fill the small space. June picked up some loose papers, flipping through them to see the same missing persons articles she found earlier as well as what looked screenshots of various websites her father had printed.

 

“Did some research. Talked to some people.” He sniffed as he snapped a magazine into a pistol. “That thing is one mean sonuvabitch. Some locals call it ‘The Slender Man’. And it’s not the only one out there. They seem to give each other a wide berth, though. Missing persons cases with its MO are spread out pretty far, but they cluster around towns.”

 

‘ _ The Slender Man _ ’, she mused. Slender was appropriate, but calling it a man was as far from the truth as one could get. Then again, she did think it was a man all those years ago, sick and looking for help. 

 

“What about a weakness?” June asked, inspecting a shotgun. The weight felt good in her hands and lifted it as if to aim it, looking down the sights at the wall. Yeah, she’ll take this one.

 

“Couldn’t find one, but everything dies.” 

 

They continued discussing tactics for a while. June pointed out that the creature was obviously supernatural to some level, explaining that it changed her environment and disappeared at will, as well as giving her nightmares. It possible that it had some idea that they were planning an attack and they decided that they would head into the woods the next day, a three man army to fight a mysterious horror.

Her father didn’t even mention Zach as a possible recruit. June wondered if the tension between her and brother extended to the two men as well.

 

“He’s...got his own issues,” her dad explained, putting the last touches on one of the field bags, “Zach never got over what happened to your mom and, well...it took its toll on him.”

 

When night came, they all went to their respective rooms and tried to rest. Mark fell asleep fairly easily, but June was left tossing and turning in bed. Sleep eluded her and eventually she got up and went downstairs to find something to help. Despite the certainty that she would have another nightmare, she didn’t want to go into battle without at least a few hours rest.

June padded into the kitchen in an oversized t-shirt that barely covered her. She would be quick so that nobody saw anything they weren’t supposed to should they also wander in for a late night snack. She put a pot of water on to boil and set about searching for some tea bags. Fishing out some chamomile from the cabinet over the stove, she turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Zach standing in the doorway.

 

“Jesus, Zach! What are you doing standing there in the dark?” June asked. He looked eerie in the half light cast on him by the stove light, the pockmarks casting disturbing shadows on his mottled skin. He didn’t answer, instead just staring at her with a dead look in his eyes. 

 

“I was going to make some tea.” Silence. “Do you want some?” Again, no response. 

 

Unsettled, she turned back around to get a mug. She felt a presence come up behind her and the hairs on her neck stood on end. She forced down the sudden urge to flee, reasoning that it was just her brother. He might hate her but he wouldn’t do anything to her, right?

Her eyes happened to flick down to catch his hand reaching for the tea kettle. She had only a moment before she was bashed in the head with the pot and she black out.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! So, the deal with the ending is that there are two endings, good and bad. I will label them as such next week when I update (both will be uploaded at the same time).

June moaned as she woke up, sharp movement jostling her aching head. She could feel something wet and sticky coating the side of her face. She tried to touch it and found that her wrists were bound. An experimental wiggle and she discovered that her ankles were tied up, too. Swallowing thickly, she tried to stay calm as she assessed her surroundings.

She was in a wheelbarrow, being pushed forward between the tall silhouettes of trees that surrounded her on all sides. Panic clawed its way into her throat and a small whine escaped. She turned her head to look at the person pushing and saw the vague features of her brother, mouth set in a firm line and looking pointedly ahead.

 

“Zach?” June whimpered. His face was stone. “Where are you taking me?”

 

He didn’t answer. She had a feeling that she knew anyways and felt utter despair. Her own brother was betraying her and handing her over to some creature who would do who knows what with her!

 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. Zach suddenly looked down at her with such hatred in his eyes that she shrunk back to avoid their heat.

 

“You want to know why?” he spit, “I’ll tell you why. You are the reason mom died. Not that thing in the woods,  _ you _ . It took a long time for it to convince me but eventually I saw the truth. It showed me the truth.”

 

She gasped. “What are you talking about?”

 

“It knows everything,” he said, her voice bordering on maniacal. He continued pushing the wheelbarrow forward as he gestured with a free hand, “It told me that all the pain would go away if I gave you to it.”

 

“Zach, no, you have to stop! It killed mom! It’ll kill me, too,” she screamed, violently struggling to overturn the wheelbarrow. He struck out with a hand and grabbed her hair, yanking her head back and forcing her to look at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his yellowed grin was missing teeth.

 

“I’ll be free,” he said. He pushed her away and continued pushing her towards her doom. Her scalp smarted and the yanking had opened up her head wound again, a fresh font on blood sliding down her face. She renewed her efforts to escape until they came to a sudden stop. 

The Slender Man stood tall and imposing over them, almost blending in with the shadows except for the whiteness of his featureless face. June saw Zach take a step back out of the corner of her and hold his arms out entreatingly.

 

“I brought her, see? She’s here. Now make it stop.” her brother said quickly. The creature tilted his head, looking down at him. A beat of silence and then Zach was sent flying through the air to collide with a tree. She heard a crack on impact and watched horrified as he slid to the ground, motionless. Not even a moment later, she was being picked up and carried away.

It had her in its arms, it’s grip tight enough to bruise and preventing her from doing anymore that wiggle. Nothing she was doing even remotely helped but she would continue to struggle until the end. The monster bent down briefly and she was pushed into a dark hole, where she slid down a small decline. Her body came to rest on the rotted remains on a wood floor.

She couldn’t see, the space it deposited her in too dark to make out anything. Her head whipped around, trying to find some way to escape. She yelped as her legs were grabbed and she was dragged further into the hole. Her t-shirt was hiked up to expose her and June squeezed her thighs together  to try and give herself some cover.

It leg go of her, dropping her legs to the ground. The frightened woman took the opportunity to flip over to her stomach to try and crawl away. A hand closed over head and pushed her face into the rotted wood. She felt the rope around her ankles be cut away and June immediately kicked out, grunting with effort and hoping to stun it. Instead, she felt the slimy sensation of it’s tentacles grab her legs and force them to spread. 

 

“No, no, no, please,” she babbled, trying to use her elbows to push herself up and away, That only succeeded in jackknifing her body, further presenting her naked backside to the beast. Something cool and wet caressed her slit and she shuddered, dreading what was going to happen to her.

With a jolt, she realized that this was what her dreams were about. It was trying to impregnate her and she was going to die giving birth to its hellspawn. She thrashed violently until the tentacles wound their way up to further restrict her movement, as well as another coming up to fill her mouth where its aphrodisiac quickly clouded her head.

The tentacle prodded at her entrance and she could only distantly be afraid with the lust caused by its juices distracting her. It pushed the slick limb into her and she moaned obscenely at the feeling of being filled. It pumped slowly into her, growing thicker and going deeper as it went. Another tentacle came to her ass and pushed its way inside her other hole. There was no pain, only an intense physical pleasure that was making her slowly lose her mind. Both limbs thrust into her at a steady speed, making wet, sucking noises as they pulled out and slammed back into her. June drooled as she felt her first orgasm build, absolutely taken over by what was being done to her.

Her walls clenched around the black limbs and she choked on the one in her mouth as she tried to vocalize through her orgasm. The two attending her lower half pulled out roughly and she was dimly aware through her sex haze of a belt buckle clinking. When she felt something again prod at her holes, she was not only ready, but eager to receive, wiggling her ass in the air and needing to be filled again. It’s other hand came up to grip her hips and slide her onto him.

The creature pushed twin cocks into her that were thicker than the tentacles it used to prepare her. She actually felt a twinge of pain, but it was soon replaced by the toe curling pleasure of a ridge of bumps being rubbed along the shared wall of her pussy and asshole. She came again suddenly, wailing around the limb in her mouth as she convulsed. It paid her no mind, however, and bottomed out inside her, wasting no time to begin fucking into her at a brutal pace.

As its--his--actual genitalia worked at her lower body, the tentacle in her mouth began to move as well, fucking her face and continuing the spread of the liquid that addled her senses. The hand on her head pressed her further into the floor but not enough to crack her skull. Her hindbrain actually relished the feeling of being dominated in such a way and she babbled around the limb in her mouth for more.

She came twice more, at which point she was a drooling, twitching mess. Every thrust made her legs convulse in aftershocks. The creature leaned over her, his horrible torn open mouth and breathing hotly on her face. His tongue lathed her face in saliva.

 

“H̷̟̭̏͝ͅo̷̯͓̦̬̔͠n̵̗̕ē̶̮̈͆͜y̷͇̐̑͆ͅ,̸̪̃̐̄ ̴̢͙̘̉̓̋b̶̮̭̆͋͆̂ã̸̧̠͍͓̓̑̆b̶̜̲͙̄̇y̴̹̙̮͌̌̂̚,” he rasped. Somehow, that snapped her out of her delirium and she gagged on the limb moving in her mouth. June struggled weakly before realizing that the creature could easily crush her head against the floor if she displeased him. Instead, she cried silently as she waited for it to finish with her.

It felt like forever before his movements stuttered and he thrust into her one last time. At the moment he came, his clamped down on her shoulder and she screamed in pain. His hot seed poured into her abused holes and he pushed  his cocks as deep as they go could into her. After a few moments, he released her shoulder, licking away drops of blood that had begun to well up in the dozens of tiny wounds. Slowly, he pulled out of her and she keenly felt each ache and pain, along with the semen oozing out of her.

The tentacles slithered her and she pushed herself to her feet slowly while she caught her breath. Her legs were like jelly but she managed to stand somehow, fluids dripping down her thighs and her lower regions pulsing painfully. She glared hatefully at where she thought the creature stood before her. In a fit of rage and rebellion, she swung her still tied fists at him. He caught them in one hand and lifted her easily off the ground. Just as she saw the shape of him lean towards her, the sound of muffled shouting pierced the the underground space. 

The grip on June’s wrists tightened before she was yanked back towards the entrance. He emerged first and pulled her up after him. She briefly saw the figures of Mark and her father before the creature tossed her to the ground. She bit her tongue as she fell and a metallic taste filled her mouth. It took her a moment to recover, her head having hit the ground where Zach had bludgeoned her but she cleared her vision as quickly as she could and pushed herself up to survey the scene.

Her fiance and father were facing down the Slender Man, which stood stoically over her. They each had a gun, Mark with his machine gun and her dad with a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other, trained on the menacingly tall humanoid. They wore headlamps that illuminated the area in bright light and she squinted her eyes to adjust. There was a duffle bag on the ground next to them, bulging with ammunition and other weapons. Their eyes flicked to her prone momentarily and horror crossed their features and she looked away, ashamed. She was sure that her shirt was covered in dirt and blood, her face red and her thighs covered in sticky black goo. It was very obvious what had happened and she could only hope that they didn’t think less of her for what was forced on her. In fact, the sight of seemed to bolster them and they returned their gaze to their quarry, jaws set.

June felt one of the tentacles brush her cheek in a mockery of affection and she flinched away, crying out in disgust. She heard the guns click in response. The creature stepped forward so that it crouched possessively over her. His face ripped open to show his grotesque mouth, black teeth glittering and tongue lolling, and began to hiss threateningly.

 

“S̵̨̘̮̬̅́̈̽͠ͅh̶̨̡͍̲̣͈̍͠e̶̟̙̻̫͑̔̎̿͒̉̇̈́ ̷̧̪͎͎̣̹͙̂͝i̶̢̱̓š̴̩͕̫̗̦̬͙̳̑ ̴̩̠̳͓͂̊͑̄̽̊m̴̩̘͉̼̲̀̌̊͐̿̈́͠ï̴̺̼̥̱n̸͇̙͂̾́ĕ̸͇̠͓̆̄͝,” he rasped. 

 

His hands were curved into claws and she realized that they hadn’t looked like that before. Before them all, the white-faced creature was transforming, bones cracking and clothes ripping as his back curved and broadened. He dropped to all fours when his legs lengthened and bent, becoming digitigrade and tearing his shoes apart with wicked looking claws. He roared when his mutation was complete and he truly now looked the part of a beast. The suit he wore hung off of him in tatters, still mostly intact but torn and loose around parts where his body grew too large.

She only had time to cast her rescuers a fearful glance before the monster launched himself at them, screeching. The air rang with the sound of gunfire, the two shooting point blank as they were rushed. The creature roared in pain and rage and careened off into the dark.

In the ensuing quiet, they all took a moment to breathe with the sound of the beast in the undergrowth around them. Mark quickly came to June’s side and pulled a knife from his belt, quickly cutting through her bindings. When she was free, she threw her arms around him and sobbed as he held her tightly, whispering soothing things to her. Her father hovered near them, nervously fingering the trigger of his pistol.

 

“It’s going to come back, we need to go,” he whispered harshly. June nodded tearfully and followed him to the bag, where he handed her the shotgun she had been admiring earlier that day and rounds of ammunition on a belt he slung around her waist. He did not mention her state of undress or ask her if she was okay, for which she was grateful. She wasn’t ready to speak just yet. Finally, he gave her a knife and they began to walk back to the house.

They could still hear the thing stalking around them, making no secret of his presence. They all kept their guns at the ready, pointing them towards any sudden movement or sound. There was no headlamp for her so she stuck close to Mark and her father, stepping carefully in their wake. June looked up at one point and saw that the sky was devoid of any celestial objects and she shivered, feeling transported back to her youth. 

A sudden crashing in the undergrowth to their right and it came barrelling towards them. She fired her shotgun but her aim was wide and she missed. Mark didn’t have time to react before he was shoved away from her where he fell on his back, dazed but okay, June noticed with relief. Something punched her in the gut and she, too, was launched away, the gun falling from her hands in the process. 

She frantically looked for the weapon, not having the benefit of the headlamp that the others did. Her father shot at the creature and soon she heard Mark join in, the machine gun spitting out dozens of shells.

She was confused; the monster could easily kill them all and be done with it. Why was he bothering with fighting them? June shuddered when she realized that it was playing with them, like a cat does a mouse. She ran her hands along the ground desperately, feeling even more exposed than she was without her gun.

One of the lamps swept the area and she saw the shotgun. It had flown to rest on the other side of the creature where it battled the two human men. Just as she stood to run to it, the pale face whipped around to face her, white skin streaked with black blood. The tentacles on his back slashed at the air and she screamed as Mark and her father were sent flying. The Slender Man turned to face her, mouth open in a snarl. 

There was only one option: dive for the gun and shoot it’s fucking head off. But would she make it? The creature was staring her down as if daring her to act. Without a second thought, she dove towards her salvation.


	9. The Bad End

As if in slow motion, June watched as the monster lunged towards her and she knew she had failed. It was too fast and the gun too far away. Still, she stretched her fingers desperately, hoping that through some miracle the firearm would appear in her hands. 

It felt like getting hit by a truck when it slammed into her and all the breath whooshed out of her as she was knocked to the ground. June tried to recover quickly, but her captor came to crouch over her, gaping mouth smiling triumphantly. Her limbs flailed in a last attempt to drive him away and she swore she heard him chuckle meanly. One of the tentacles snaked its way around her throat and she was left barely a trickle of air as he lifted her to dangle next to him. The slime on it made it difficult to get any purchase but she clawed at it anyways, fingertips growing warm where it touched the slick. The tip of it pushed past her tightly pursed lips to smear the aphrodisiac on her tongue and she felt her head grow heavy and her pussy start leaking.

Dimly, she was aware of being taken over to where Mark and her father lay unconscious. The creature wrapped a clawed hand around Marks head, lifting him like a doll and pressing his skull against a tree. He forced her to watch as it slowly applied pressure and crushed Mark skulls like a grape against the rough bark. Blood and brain matter flowed between the long white fingers, the red a stark contrast to his pale skin. She wasn’t doped up enough to not feel horrified at the sight, screaming and crying around the limb in her mouth. 

For her father, the beast began by ripping an arm off which brought the man screaming out of unconsciousness. He was held down with one large hand while the other tore off her fathers other limbs. The carelessness he did it with was like ripping the wings off a fly. She had to close her eyes at the sight, vomit rising in her throat and his screams drilling until her ears until they abruptly stopped. Opening her eyes, she actually did throw up when she saw her father head rolling on the forest floor. Acidic bile dripped from her mouth from around her gag.

The monster turned and stalked back towards the open hole in the ground. She kicked and screamed the whole way, knowing it was fruitless but refusing to give up. He dragged her in and closed the hatch behind her, knowing then that her fate had been sealed.

\--

June screamed as another contraction rippled through her. Her forehead was coated with sweat and it streamed down her brow, stinging her eyes. The coolness of the underground did nothing to soothe her overheating body. She had long since grown used to the dark and watched with horrified fascination as her protruding belly rippled, like something was pushing at her from within.

The Slender Man crouched in the corner. He had not transformed back into the humanoid shape since her family tried to save her months ago and he rarely left her alone, lest she tried to kill herself since escape was impossible. His eyeless face watched, devoid of emotion but his body seemed tense with anticipation. 

The months since she watched her family die had been agony. The creature kept her underground in its burrow, bringing her food that he often forced down her throat. He fucked her mercilessly, sometimes using the slimy tentacles to prepare her and sometimes just shoving himself in raw. He seemed to enjoy causing her pain but using the aphrodisiac kept her pliant and agreeable, so she spent most of her time doped up and horny against her wishes. June finally gave up fighting when she found out she was pregnant.

Her throat was raw but she continued to scream; the pain was unbearable and all encompassing. Something must be wrong, right? It shouldn’t hurt this bad and certainly shouldn’t be focused around the dome of her stomach rather than her pelvis.

She began clawing at stomach, sobbing and pleading for the pain to stop. At the apex, blood began to well up and flow down the sides of her body and she paused, eyes wide with terror as a tiny hand emerged from the hole being carved into her from the inside of her womb. Her toes and fingers felt cold and she realized her body was finally going into shock, the pain dimming to a dull throb. She dimly felt her skin tearing as the spawn inside her finally emerged, but found she didn’t care as her life was already fading with the blood draining from her body.

The monster approached, his body slowly standing upright and appearing as he did normally. He reached out his arms to take the baby from her open belly and she didn’t even have the strength to shy away from his touch. Her vision was fading and the cry of the her bastard child sounded far away. She caught the monsters gaze and he looked at her, head cocked with some inscrutable expression of emotion. His face began tearing open as her eyes closed and she finally slipped into the cool embrace of death.


	10. The Good End

The monster obviously hadn’t anticipated her to move so quickly. A tentacle shot out too late and just barely missed her. June hit the ground and rolled, snapping up the shotgun and whipping the barrel up to aim at the creatures head.

He turned quickly, raising an elongated hand to swipe at her. Without waiting another second, she fired straight into his skull. The grapeshot created a ragged hole that destroyed flesh and bone. She could see pieces of his brain, white and streaked with black blood, within his open cranium. 

He had gone stock still at the moment of impact, arm still in the air and body tensed for combat. Hastily, June grabbed two more shells from her belt and loaded them in, hands shaking and almost dropping the precious ammo. Again, she squeezed the trigger to blast the monster. The force of it dropped him to the ground, limbs convulsing and blood oozing from it’s half-destroyed skull. For good measure, she shot it again to completely obliterate his head. Finally, his body went still.

June stood there, tense and breathing heavily. She waited anxiously for the thing to move again and only let her guard down when she carefully nudged the body with a toe and received no response. Still, she loaded the shotgun again and kept wary. 

She crept over to the bodies of Mark and her father. Gently, she woke them and they came to, disoriented but otherwise alright. Well, they had several gashes on their arms and legs and dark bruises littering their skin and she was sure that they would be sore in the morning, but they weren’t dead. Tears welled in her eyes as she pulled them close into a group hug.

 

“Did we...did we win?” Mark asked, not quite done processing the situation. She leaned back to look at his incredulous expression and nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. He suddenly pulled her close and laughed aloud and she joined him, the mood infectious.

Her father patted her back and stood, walking over to the limp body of the creature. He nudged it with his boot and nodded, satisfied.

 

“Everything dies,” he muttered, “Come on you two, we have a little more work to do.”

 

Cutting the body of the monster into pieces wasn’t as hard as she originally thought it would be when he father handed her a machete. They all hacked at the overlong limbs, separating them from the enormous torso. Black blood covered their forearms and spattered their faces but they continued to work diligently. At some point, she realized the moon had come back, shining brightly down on their grisly task. She reached up to rub at the symbol on her chest as she looked at the sky and discovered it had disappeared.

They found Zach’s body and they mulled over what to do. Of course he was family and neither her father nor June wanted to leave him, broken and lifeless on the forest floor, despite what he did. They buried Zach near the tree line, a single rock used to mark his grave. Several more trips were made  in and out of the forest to drag the pieces of the Slender Man to a bonfire, where they watched sullenly until there was nothing but ash. 

As she and her family stepped inside her childhood home, June turned to look at the forest. It no longer sent chills up her spine and seem utterly calm in the pale morning light that spilled over the treetops. She smiled and closed the door behind her.

\--

“One more push, Mrs. Michaels!” 

 

June took a deep breath and bore down on her pelvis, screaming through gritted teeth. Her hand was squeezed reassuringly and she glanced over to see Mark smiling at her and giving encouragement she didn’t quite catch through the blood rushing in her ears. There were a multitude of nurses surrounding her, ready to catch and clean the baby that was currently causing her no end of pain.

A few months after they killed the monster that haunted her, she found out that she was pregnant. They were all worried, her most of all knowing the details, dreading that the baby she carried wasn’t human. A trip to her family’s doctor, who promised to stay discreet if the results were not what they hoped for. She wasn’t sure what the spawn of the monster would look like, but she imagined that the doctor would know if anything was wrong. She almost cried with relief when she saw the ultrasound show developing eyes and a nose, limbs the perfect length for that part of its growth. The doctor looked on, confused but happy, at the overjoyed parents-to-be as they wept with joy.

Just as she ran out of energy, she felt something slide out from between her legs and the pressure was gone, replaced by a dull throb. High pitched crying punctuated the air and June flopped back against the hospital bed, half laughing, half sobbing. Finally, it was over. Mark kissed her forehead, laughing with her. She closed her eyes, catching her breath, and felt Mark leave her side. After a few moments, he touched her shoulder and she sleepily looked up at him. In his arms was a bundle and he stared wonderingly down at it. June smiled softly.

 

“She’s beautiful,” he said in awe. She gestured for him to lean down and he handed the bundle to her. Her baby’s face was scrunched up and red, threatening to release another cry. When she ran a fingertip down the side of her tiny face, the muscles smoothed and the faintest hint of a smile curled on the baby’s lips.

Her father came in a bit later and she let him hold his new granddaughter. The old man joked that he wasn’t sure if he was cradling her correctly, it had been so long. Mark went out to get a coffee, leaving father and daughter alone.

 

“You’re mother would be so proud,” her father said. The shine of unshed tears glittered in his eyes when he looked up at her, smiling fondly. Her daughter gurgled happily in her father’s arms and June was at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed reading, I certainly enjoyed writing it. I don't have any plans to continue adding to this universe currently, but who knows?   
> Leave a kudos and a comment if you're so inclined. It really makes my day <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! This is a spiritual sequel to my other work, Skulka. It took me two years to finally sit down and write it. The whole thing is written and I will be updating every week until it's finished.  
> Just a reminder, there will be non-consensual and consensual sexual content as well as depictions of gore.  
> Hope you enjoy the ride!


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